Peabody Hotel facts for kids

The Peabody Memphis
Quick facts for kids Peabody Hotel
Hotel facts and statistics
Location	Memphis, Tennessee
Coordinates	35°08′33″N 90°03′07″W / 35.1425°N 90.0519°W / 35.1425; -90.0519
Opening date	September 1, 1925
Architect	Walter W. Ahlschlager
Owner	Peabody Hotel Group
No. of restaurants	7
No. of rooms	464
of which suites	69
Total floor area	80,000 square feet (7,432.2 m2)
Parking	1000+
No. of floors	13

The Peabody Memphis is a fancy hotel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It's super famous for its "Peabody Ducks." These ducks live on the hotel roof and march down to the lobby every day! The Peabody is part of Historic Hotels of America. This group recognizes special old hotels.

Inside the Peabody in 2006

The Peabody Hotel's Story

The First Peabody Hotel

The very first Peabody Hotel was built in 1869. A man named Robert Campbell Brinkley built it. He named it after his friend, George Peabody, who had helped the South. This hotel was a big hit! It had 75 rooms and many fancy public areas.

Famous guests stayed there. These included Presidents Andrew Johnson and William McKinley. Even Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Nathan Bedford Forrest visited. Jefferson Davis, who was once the President of the Confederacy, lived there for a while in 1870. The first hotel closed in 1923. A new department store was built where it used to be.

The Current Peabody Hotel

The Peabody Hotel you see today is on Union Avenue. It's an Italian Renaissance style building. A famous architect from Chicago, Walter W. Ahlschlager, designed it. Building started soon after the old hotel closed. The new hotel opened its doors on September 1, 1925.

The hotel faced tough times in the 1960s and 1970s. It even closed for a bit. But in 1975, a man named Jack A. Belz bought it. He spent $25 million to make it new again. The hotel reopened in 1981. Many people say this helped bring life back to downtown Memphis. The Peabody Hotel is now on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special historic building.

The Peabody Ducks: A Famous Tradition

The Peabody Ducks in the Fountain

The Peabody Hotel is most famous for its ducks! This tradition started in the 1930s. The hotel's manager, Frank Schutt, put three live call ducks in the lobby fountain. Guests loved it! Since then, five Mallard ducks (one boy and four girls) have lived in the fountain every day.

Duckmaster giving the ducks a feeding

In 1940, a bellman named Edward Pembroke took care of the ducks. He became the first "Duckmaster." He taught the ducks to march into the lobby. This started the famous Peabody Duck March!

Every day at 11:00 a.m., the ducks leave their home on the roof. They ride the elevator down to the lobby. Then, with music playing, they march across a red carpet to the hotel fountain. The fountain is made of fancy Italian marble. At 5:00 p.m., the ducks march back to their rooftop home.

The Peabody Ducks have become celebrities! They've been on TV shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Sesame Street. They've also been in People magazine. The "Duckmaster" job at the Peabody Memphis is the only one like it in the world! Many famous people have been "Honorary Duckmasters" too. These include Oprah Winfrey, Kevin Bacon, and Stephen Fry.

The duck tradition might be even older than the 1930s. Some old pictures show ducks in the fountain before 1915. But the hotel says the tradition officially started in 1933. In 2008, they built a new "Duck Palace" on the roof for the ducks' 75th anniversary. It's a fancy home with granite floors and a mini hotel replica!

Cool Features of the Peabody Hotel

The Peabody Hotel has big red neon "The Peabody" signs. You can see them on top of the Skyway Ballroom. The top floor is called the Skyway and Rooftop. It has amazing views of Memphis. This rooftop is often used for concerts and parties in the summer.

When you ride the elevator, you press "S" to go to the top floor. This floor is actually the 13th floor. But because some people think the number 13 is unlucky, the hotel calls it "the Skyway."

Music and Media at the Peabody

Famous musicians have performed at the Peabody Hotel. Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra played there in 1931.

For many years, radio station WREC and TV station WREC-TV had their studios in the hotel basement. During the Big Band era, the Skyway was a popular place for dancing. The CBS radio network even broadcast live shows from the ballroom. Famous groups like Tommy Dorsey and the Andrews Sisters performed there regularly.

Hotel Floor Guide

Peabody Duck Palace Swimming Pool

Here's a quick look at what's on each floor:

• 13 (S) – The Rooftop, where the ducks live in their Duck Palace, and the Skyway Ballroom.
• 12 – The Peabody Club and special guest rooms like The Presidential Suite.
• 11 – Regular guest rooms and different types of suites.
• 10 through 08 – More standard guest rooms.
• 07 – Standard guest rooms and the W.C. Handy Suite.
• 06 through 04 – More standard guest rooms.
• 03 – The Peabody Executive Conference Center for meetings.
• 02 (M) – The Mezzanine Level. This floor has many ballrooms and event rooms. You can also find the hotel kitchens here.
• 01 (L) – The Grand Lobby. This is where you check in. It also has restaurants, bars, and shops.
• LL – The Lower Level (Basement). Here you'll find offices, a spa, a gym, and the hotel pool.

Images for kids

• 

  The first Peabody Hotel, around 1898

See also

In Spanish: Peabody Hotel para niños